The Columbus journal., 1887-11-02
A KITCHEN ROMANCE.

talking with a young Swedish woman
with a view TO engaging her. The neceS-
sary questions and answerS had been eX
changed, and everything seemed s~atisfac-
tory; but the girl still stoOd rs IL hest
Eating, lingering the fringe of her shawl.
She was round faced and rosy checked,
with a somewhat dull look, which, how
ever, changed TO a brighter one in a pleas
mt unexpected way when she smiled.
AS she stood with her head bent a little
down, and her eyes turned a little up, she
would not have been a bad model for q
painter Of rustic studies.
'.Dus you gels hev dey frants come in
de evenings" she said. Il didunty want
mush cumpny like SO lots er gels, but l
hev vwon fran whut cOIne often" And
her red cheeks grew redder.
Mrs. Loring ''grasped the situation"
o yes, Tilda," she said, that will be
all right; O are welcome to see any
of yOur friends, if the kitchen is not
noisy and you keep early hours. You
must tell them that Mrs. Loring is very
cross if the kitchen is not locked by 10
o'clock" This last with a smile that at
once gave the lie to her words, and in
Sured obedience 10 them.
So Tilda came. and three times a week
her lover came to see her. Regularly ut
s:3O OIL his accustomed evenings his step
would sound or the walk that led to the
area, and as regularly il would he heard,
a few minutes before 10, departing. Her
only other guests were her sisters, who
came but seldom, n then, by an anus
ing chance, always upon the alternate
evenings; but no loud noises or bOisterOus
laughing ever disturbed the house: indeed,
beyond a snbdued murmur of voices,
which might be heard in the pantry ad-
joining the kitchen, there was no noise ut
all.
One evening when Tilda had been
domesticated about a month, Mrs. LOring
went into the kitchen to prepare some
thing for one Of the children, who was all
ing. Tilda's ''fran." Nicholas by name,
was there, and Mrs. Loring, who always
felt a kindly interest in the affairs of her
servants, noticed him somewhat closely.
To her quiet good evening" he responder.
respectfully, but without any Of the
''sheepishness'' which Mns. Loring had
observed, on occasions like the present, in
the men who had kept company with
her other servants. He was a large, well
built fellow, with a strong, honest face,
and as Mrs. LOring went upstairs she felt
q HUN VI III DISstSuIC Ildt Oil Ill WOIlcu
feel i'm the thought that another woman,
however humble. is to be cared for by a
man who will do it wOrthily-a pleasure
not entirely obliterated by the more selfish
mental query which would Obtrude as to
whether she would he getting married
jast as she became well wonted to the
work.
81 hope it will prove a long courtship,'"
b said. half aloud, as she reached the
nursery. where other things soon drove
the subject from her thoughts.
Two or three months passed. Nicholas
continued his visits, but Mrs. Loring, with
the exception Of two glimpses as hurried
as the first, did not see him again. One
morning in the early spring, when Tilda
had been nearly four months with her,
Mrs. l.oring noticed that she looked sullen
and dull, and that her eyes were swollen
rs If from crying: but she avoided re-
marking upOn it, thinking that the kinder
way, and hoping that the mood would soon
give way TO a happier one. But DAYS
passed and the change did not come,
Tilda was civil and did her work fairly
well, but she ''glummed around" without
a smile. and the traces of tears were often
visible. So II week Went by, when it sud-
denly occurred to Mrs. Loring that she
had not heard Nicholas coming and going
for some days-and two and two instantly
became four. "A lovers quarrel" she
thought: I'll see if l can help matters"
So that evening when the work was fin
ished she went to the kitchen. Tilda was
sewing, but her eyes were red and wet.
Mrs. Loring always respected her SER
wants, and her intuitiOns were as true, il
different, in approaching them on a SUBJ
ject sacred to themselves as they would
have been in a similar interview with a
social equal, SO that in a few moments
Tilda's heart WAS won, and she was pour
Ing it ont unreservedly.
"He hev gone back er Swaden," she
said, wiping her eyes. Then in an instant:
"He told sud go longer wild en-: but 1
kenenty yus now. Mar seesters dey all
hare, and mar yoonges seester see heventy
been long a-ay fOm Swaden. / kenenty
leev hare right away"
But" said Mrs. LOring, s.he isn't
angry He will come backs''
''Oh, yaas, fen EN- fader veil, he com.
Yaas" with u pretty conscious pride in
her eye, and a little Strengthening, he
com back. hut mebbe it be longer time.
En- fadcr pretty mush seek, and EN-
moder ecs ole. kencnty tai" And she
cried again. But it had done her good to
unburden her heart, and Mrs Loring was
a kind comforter, and reminded her how
quickly time few, and how nice his let
tiers would he, and the interview ended.
Nearly a year passed. Twice every
month (which was often for q man to
whom a letter vas doubtless q serious
undertaking, a letter came to Tilda from
Sweden, addressed to Mr.. Loring's care,
and Tilda herself had long ago regained
her cheerfulness. In the meantime she had
grown quite intimate with the cook next
door, and went with her to church SUM-
day evenings. One evening rs they chatted
o minute in the area, Mrs. LOring noticed
Q mans voice, md wondering il Nicholas
had returned, looked ont as he walked
away lit was bright n~Oonlight,; but it
was a much smaller man. She heard the
same voice once or twice again, but gave
the matter 70 thought, suppOsing, SO Ear
- it had place in her mind at all. that the